Esteban's Sacrifice
by NeverLander852
Summary: AU Version of the end of 'The Magic Within'. What if Esteban saved Victor from being turned to stone? [I do not and never will, own Elena of Avalor.]


**Esteban's Sacrifice**

AU Version of the end of 'The Magic Within'. What if Esteban saved Victor from being turned to stone?

**[I do not and never will, own Elena of Avalor.]**

* * *

"Forget Takaina!" Victor shouted to Ash.

Ash's eyes widened. "What are you saying?!" she asked her husband. "If we are ever going to be safe, we need the power of the crystal forge!"

"No." Victor said bitterly, "We don't need it. **YOU** need it."

Ash glared at him.

"We almost lost our daughter today." Victor went on, "She is all that matters. I am _through_ with these dark pursuits!"

Ash stared at her husband. "So be it." she said. With her tamborita, she prepared the spell to turn her husband to stone.

Victor was shocked as the spell warmed up and prepared to fire at him, but nothing could prepare him, or his daughter, for what came next.

"No!" Esteban suddenly yelled. He ran over and pushed Victor to the floor, taking the blast instead.

Carla ran over to help her father. "Ah! My ankle!" Victor said, feeling his ankle hurting in pain as he managed to stand up.

But, the pain of a sprained ankle was nothing compared to the horrible thing Ash was doing.

Victor and Carla could only watch in horror as Esteban, the former Chancellor of Avalor, was turned to a lifeless stone statue.

"Esteban!" Carla gasped in horror. "How could you, Mama?" she said, shocked, and anguished. "He was Papa's friend, his partner!"

Ash just coldly glared at her daughter. "Well, he betrayed the Royal Family, and he betrayed your father when Shuriki forced us out of Avalor, and he even betrayed Shuriki _herself_! What made you think he wouldn't do the same to _me_?"

"He _saved_ me!" Victor shouted at his wife, as he limped over to the statue of Esteban. "He was better than Shuriki, he stopped her, he helped save Avalor, and if he hadn't done that selfless act to save _me_, I would've been in the same fate as him right now!"

"Oh, you wish to _join_ him, don't you?" Ash said angrily, preparing to use the stone spell again. Victor cowered near his petrified partner.

"No!" Carla said, stepping in front of her father, and his petrified partner. "Mama, if you zap him, you'll have to zap me too!" she snapped.

Ash lowered her tamborita. "I am no longer joining _you_, Mama." Carla said bitterly to her.

Victor glared at his wife. "Consider this divorce _official_." he said, just as bitterly as his own daughter.

Ash made no attempt to argue with her husband or her daughter. "Very well." she said. "You can _both_ enjoy your new statue." With that, she rode off toward Takaina, leaving her ex-husband and his daughter, with the petrifed Esteban.

Victor stared at the statue of his former partner, his eyes welling up in tears. "I'm so sorry, Esteban." Victor said, feeling a sob catch in his throat. "I should never have blabbed out your secret."

Carla hugged her father. "It's Ok, Papa, at least you're safe, as am I."

Victor pulled his daughter into a tight hug, as he broke into loud agonized sobs.

"There, there, Papa." Carla said. "Let it all out."

* * *

And when Elena, Gabe, and Mateo arrived, Victor and Carla explained everything.

"How could she have _done_ this?" Elena said, upon seeing the statue that was once the former Chancellor of Avalor, the same guy who worked for Shuriki during her reign, and the same one who was now disowned by the Royal Family.

"He saved me from Ash turning me into stone." Victor said.

Elena, Gabe, and Mateo gasped in horror.

"It's true." Carla said sadly. "Mama did this to him."

"I no longer want to be an evil malvago, I want to protect my daughter. She is all that matters." Victor said, feeling rather remorseful for his actions, as well as his daughter.

Elena stared, her mouth agape. She didn't know what to say, for once.

Victor Delgado practically had a good heart in him after all.

"Princess, please save Esteban. We'll do _anything_ you ask," Carla practically begged. "We want to help you in any way we can." Victor said. "It's the least we can do, especially after what Shuriki did to your parents, and trapped you in that amulet." he added.

Elena sighed sadly, remembering that horrible moment when Shuriki destroyed her parents, and trapped her in the Amulet of Avalor. She breathed calmly, stared at the Delgados, then said to Gabe, "Gabe, take them back to the castle." Then she said bitterly to Carla and Victor, "I'll deal with you two later."

The remorseful Victor and Carla Delgado made no attempt to resist, as Gabe took them away. Mateo used his tamborita to pick up the stone statue of Esteban.

* * *

Elena and Mateo returned to Francisco, and Luisa, and Isabel.

"Well, we captured Carla and Victor." she said to her grandparents.

"What about Esteban?" Francisco asked.

"We got him too, but... Ash turned him into stone." Elena said sadly.

Elena's grandparents and sister gasped.

"Esteban sacrificed himself, for Victor." Elena said.

"Did he really do that?" Isabel asked her sister.

"It's true, Isa." Elena said. "Victor and Carla told me everything."

"I knew Esteban didn't have an evil bone in his body." Francisco said.

"Poor Esteban." Luisa said. "Even after all he did with Shuriki, he really didn't deserve that."

"I know, Abuela." Elena said. "Ash is more worse and powerful than Shuriki ever was."

"In fact," she added, "she's more worse and powerful than Shuriki and Fiero put together."

Elena's grandparents and sister gaped. They remembered Shuriki and Fiero all too well.

"But we'll get through this," Elena said, reassuring them. "Just like we've gotten through everything else, together." She hugged Francisco, who, along with Luisa, and Isabel, hugged her back.

Elena smiled. "Now, we've got a Carnaval to get back to!" she said.

"Finally!" Flo said, leaping into Elena's arms.

And the Carnaval celebration resumed as normal, like the way the special normally ended.

* * *

In the Castle of Avalor's dungeon, Victor and Carla were back in their cell. They were still frazzled by what had happened to Esteban.

"He shouldn't have saved you, Papa." Carla said, sadly. "Even after his betrayal, he still didn't deserve to be turned to stone."

"I know." Victor said. "But it would've been worse for you if it was _me_ turned to stone and not Esteban."

"And, I guess it would've been worse for you if **I** was turned to stone by Mama." Carla said to her father.

"You guess correctly." Victor said.

Carla smiled, but then, she frowned. "Mama was wrong to hurt your childhood partner, Papa." she said. "She's even worse than Shuriki ever was; and she _was_ pretty bad. After all, you saw what she did to Elena's parents."

Victor nodded grimly. "She could've done the same thing to us, as well."

Carla shuddered at the thought. "As far as I'm concerned," she said bitterly, "Mama is no longer familia."

"That's right." Victor said, as Carla helped him up. "She hurt my partner, my childhood friend, and now, she is our enemy. As of today, we will help Princess Elena defeat Ash, and stop her before she does any more harm to Avalor."

"But how, Papa?" Carla asked. "Our tamboritas are gone! We can't do any more magic without them!"

"Who says we need tamboritas?" Victor said, grinning smugly. He looked outside the cell, making sure no guards were nearby, then he shut his eyes, and chanted some mystic words, and then, to Carla's amazement, Victor seemed to shrink, right before her eyes. She had to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming.

Within seconds, Victor had shrunk to exactly the same height as his daughter. He looked at his malvago robes, which, unfortunately, to his frustration, hadn't shrunk with him. Looking down at his hands, he saw that all he could see were sleeves.

Carla's eyes nearly fell out of her head. "Papa, how did you-?"

"Well," Victor said, "When Fiero made us malvagos, his magic, as well as a bit of Ash's, and a bit of Shuriki's, somehow or other, fused into our bodies. It allows us to use magic, even _without_ tamboritas."

"I of course, gained the power to shrink myself, and to control my shrinking as well." he added, noticing that he was exactly that of Carla's height.

Carla's mouth fell agape. It felt alarming to see her dad at exactly the same size as her.

"Well, my powers still need to take some control; it doesn't seem to affect my clothes, yet." he added, staring at his somewhat oversized malvago robes.

A sudden rustle made him and Carla look down, which to Victor, indicated his malvago pants had fallen down. He stepped out of his oversized malvago shoes and pants, wincing as he felt the cold floor of the dungeon on his bare feet, which seemed to be hidden under his oversized malvago robes. He wriggled his toes with a wince.

Carla stared at her dad, then at herself. Did it mean she had magic powers too, like her dad?

She had to find out for herself.

Like her dad did before her, she looked outside the cell, making sure no guards were nearby, then she shut her eyes, and chanted some mystic words. She opened one eye, then the other. All she could see was her father, still at her size, in his oversized malvago robes.

Nothing seemed to have happened.

"How come it's not working for me?" she asked.

"Well, Carla," Victor said as he walked over to her, "it seems that your blood still has to take time to channel the magic into your body. Once it does, you will become a powerful malvago, with or without a tamborita."

Carla smiled. It would take time for her to channel her magic, like her dad, but it would all be worth it, as she could soon use it to help Elena stop Ash from taking over Avalor.

"Thank you, Dad." Carla said, calmly, hugging her father. Victor hugged her too, bringing the sleeves of his oversized malvago robes around her. It **did** feel strange, seeing his daughter from the exact same height, but as long as she was happy, he didn't mind.

Victor and Carla Delgado were now _definitely_ changed people, though it would take them time to earn Elena's trust, and when the time came, they would help Elena stop Ash, and avenge Esteban **and** Elena's parents.

Maybe they _could_ change their ways after all.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I believe Victor and Carla Delgado _both_ deserve a second chance.

Even if Victor did get turned to stone in the original special, I still think he didn't deserve it.

I think they both should reform after Ash is defeated.

After all, if Globby from _Big Hero 6 the Series_ can change, so can Victor and Carla.

And Maybe Professor Callaghan can change as well.

What do you think?

**READ & REVIEW!**


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